There are many applications which involve measuring, adjusting, or reproducing the position of a solid body in three dimensions. One of these many applications is in the field of dentistry.
In performing full-mouth rehabilitation it is necessary to repair natural teeth, and/or to construct crowns, bridges, and the like. When the tooth structures have thus been rehabilitated it is necessary that the closing of the mouth will provide a proper static fit of the lower teeth upon the upper teeth. Furthermore, the slopes of the chewing surfaces on the teeth must be properly fashioned so that the dynamic action of the teeth, either in chewing or in bruxing, will be proper.
It is common practice to use the indirect method of dentistry in which full or partial models of the patient's tooth structures are made, and these models are then mounted upon a device known as a dental articulator in order to complete the shaping of the crowns, bridges, or other restorations. The articulator has an upper plate which simulates the upper jaw or maxilla, and it also has a lower plate which simulates the lower jaw or mandible. Each tooth model must be attached to the corresponding plate of the articulator in a precisely determined three-dimensional position, in order to properly simulate the patient's chewing mechanism. It has been the common practice of the profession to secure the tooth model to the articulator plate by filling the gap between these two members with plaster of paris, which then solidifies and becomes "stone." That procedure, however, requires a considerable amount of the doctor's time.
Thus the principal object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for supporting a solid body, permitting the position of the body to be adjusted in three dimensions as desired, and then securely locking the body in its desired position.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the foregoing type which is particularly adapted for use in the practice of dentistry, in mounting a dental model to the corresponding plate of a dental articulator.